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Panthers double up Red Wings 2-1 (OT) for first win in Detroit since 1996

Not only was the score doubled, so were the shots: 40 to 20 in favor of the Wings. Panthers goaltender Scott Clemmensen, suited up in his first start since November 7th, kept his club firmly ensconced in this one. Undoubtedly, this is the “Clemmer” fans expected to see when he signed a three-year deal with the organization in July. Stephen Weiss tied the score at the midway point of the third, missing on his initial attempt to jam the puck into a gaping net to the right of Chris Osgood, only to bang it home on a second furious push. Bryan McCabe played the hero in the overtime session, scoring from the right circle on a one-timer. End of game, end of thirteen year(!) drought in the Motor City. Slayin’ dragons, one period at a time.

A few numbers:

Florida registered two shots on Osgood in the opening frame, and matched that figure in 40 seconds of OT. Radek Dvorak, Steven Reinprecht, and Dmitry Kulikov failed to register a shot; Detroit’s Darren Helm had eight shots while playing a total of 14:25. Sick. All Florida skaters finished with an “even” or better plus-minus. Jordan Leopold led in TOI with 24:23, just a shade over McCabe. Is Nathan Horton becoming – gulp – consistent? His two assists against the Wings gives him 5 points (1 goal) and a plus-3 in his past four games.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking…


Programming note: tonight’s Cats @ Blueshirts Open Thread goes LIVE at 6pm. Have a great Saturday everyone.

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